


Honey Pie

by audiaphilios



Series: From Tumblr With Lo-- [19]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Beekeeper Bitty, Bees, M/M, bee stings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 18:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9397832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/audiaphilios/pseuds/audiaphilios
Summary: Yes, Bitty’s quite happy with Honey Pie Hives (his mother vetoed “Queen Bee-yoncé” and all related puns), he’s got great relationships with businesses throughout the town (even if his actual relationship status leaves something to be desired) and all seems to be going really well, until the new neighbor moves in.





	

**Author's Note:**

> zimmboners posted the au prompt:  
> beekeeper bitty that runs a honey business and has a beehive in his backyard + his cute next door neighbor jack who is Terrified of bees despite being 6'4" and coaching hockey
> 
> And I, as a loving beekeeper, felt the need to expand upon this.
> 
> [Originally posted to tumblr on July 31, 2016.](http://audiaphilios.tumblr.com/post/148221730890/zimmboners-beekeeper-bitty-that-runs-a-honey)

Bitty’s a responsible urban beekeeper and keeps his hives positioned so no one flies out into pathways, and he has a lovely bee-pond set up so they don’t skulk around any swimming pools, and he even has courtesy fences set up so that neighbors don’t get unnecessarily nervous. Besides, he only keeps a few hives at home. The bulk of his hives are kept on rooftops throughout the city—a lot of coffeeshops and restaurants and nurseries are actually really cool about this, because they get great deals on fresh, unprocessed local honey, and Bitty’s honey-based desserts are to die for.

Yes, Bitty’s quite happy with Honey Pie Hives (his  _mother_  vetoed “Queen Bee-yoncé” and all related puns), he’s got great relationships with businesses throughout the town (even if his actual relationship status leaves something to be desired) and all seems to be going really well, until the new neighbor moves in.

It’s not that the man is gorgeous, that’s a pleasant distraction. It’s not that he’s rude, because despite BItty’s roots, he knows that here in the Northeast, people don’t really expect their new neighbors to drop by with a Welcome Pie, and Bitty knows that some people aren’t big on sweets (heaven protect him!). But that neighbor of his could have at least introduced himself before bemusedly accepting the pie and closing the door.

All that was fine, though. The problem is that the man has one of the most beautiful gardens Bitty’s ever seen, and he seems to be waging all-out war on Bitty’s bees.

Of course, he doesn’t know they’re Bitty’s bees, Bitty doesn’t make a habit of telling people about them until after he gets a feel for them, and, well, this  _gentleman_  didn’t give him the right vibe, let’s say.

Bitty wonders if he understands the role bees play in keeping his gardens so nice. He’s not using chemicals, at least, but he’s got a series of baja chimneys that he keeps lit whenever he’s out there working, the constant smoke a nuisance not just for Bitty’s bees but for the neighborhood. Plus, he has a series of bee traps set around the yard, and that is Just Not On.

He’s tried asking the man about it, casually, to see if maybe there was an allergy issue, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, if Bitty interpreted his grunts correctly.

And though he should be, he’s not entirely prepared for the day a startled yelp turns into a wail of pain, and he flies out of his kitchen to see what’s going on.

Keeping his calm, he walks through the cloud of bees and flailing man to grab his hand, and speak soft instructions to him: “Close your eyes, follow me and my voice. Walk straight away with me, don’t swing at them. They can smell the little fellas that got you, we just need to get upwind. Around your little chimney now, careful. Alright, we’re going to go to my kitchen and I’ll get you fixed right up.”

The man’s quiet now, Bitty notes, and clinging to his hand. He seems to have gotten a few stings, but the bees start to drift away after they walked through the smoke. There will be a few still clinging to their clothes, he knows, but that’s why he keeps the bee brush by the garage door.

In the kitchen, he has a chance to inspect his neighbor, who seems to have gotten off quite lucky with only a few stings-- lord, as if his cheekbone needed to be any more pronounced! He’s taking slow, shaky breaths, and Bitty’s glad he doesn’t seem to need to break out the epipen he keeps stashed for emergencies. He does pass the man a Benadryl gel-cap anyway, just in case, instructing him to chew.

“Ugh, that’s foul!” The man should not be attractive with his tongue half-hanging out of his mouth, but somehow he perseveres. Bitty slips his fingers under the man’s chin and closes his mouth.

“Yes, I know, it’s off-label use but it’ll work faster that way and make you ache a bit less.” Bitty’s working a propolis-based sting cream into the spots he can see, flicking out stingers with his thumbnail as he goes and murmuring a bit sadly over the loss of little lives.

“Those—are those  _your_  bees?!” The man finally seems to have regained control of his tongue. It’s unfortunate, because he has a lovely accent and Bitty’s almost certain it’s about to be used to say terrible things. He braces himself.

“Yes, um. I’m Bitty—Eric Bittle, owner and operator of Honey Pie Hives. Pleased to meet you, though I wish the circumstances could have been better. Say, if I had a pie to offer as a welcome.” Whoops, he didn’t mean for the bitterness to slip in there. After all, his bees had just gone after this man.

To his surprise, the man blushes. It’s a full-fledged embarrassed blush, Bitty can tell, and not some kind of angry flush, because suddenly the man can’t meet his eyes and is letting out deep, fast exhale.

“God, I’m so sorry— I just— I’m not— People are— You—” He stops short. Takes a deep breath. “You caught me off-guard, before. I’m not used to people approaching me in a... friendly, way. And I’m not good at surprises.”

Bitty tuts, trying to dismiss his apology, but the man raises his hand to stop him.

“No, seriously. I’m sorry. I’m Jack. Jack Zimmermann.” He says this as if he expects Bitty to recognize his name, but doesn’t seem upset at all that Bitty disappoints him.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Zimmermann, and I think we’ll count ourselves even after that little display by my bees. Lord, they’re normally so gentle, I have no idea what might have set them off.”

The man— _Jack_ , Bitty corrects himself— looks embarrassed again.

“I, um. May have gone in swinging? I just.” Another deep breath. “I’m terrified of bees and there were so many here that I thought there was a wild swarm, and they weren’t responding to my attempts to make a hostile living environment. I may have. Gotten frustrated? And overreacted. Gardening is what I do to relax, and, well.”

“Lord, and you’ve been spending your relaxing time building a hostile living environment? I don’t suppose it helps to know they were just neighbors.” Bitty smiles a bit. Jack, to his relief, smiles back a little as well. Then he grimaces, a bit, when the sting on his cheekbone is agitated.

Bitty reaches out to soothe it, then catches himself, fingertips just touching Jack’s skin. Before he can draw his hand back, Jack wraps his own around it, gentle, gentle.

“Thank you,” he says softly, and  _Lord,_ Bitty thinks,  _his eyes are blue._

“For what, getting you stung?”

“No, for. For helping me. And being kind when I was so rude.”

“Heavens, Jack, I’ll admit I’m curious, but I’m not that nosy a neighbor.” Jack looks embarrassed again, and Bitty hates how charming he finds that. 

“I appreciate that. People get in my face a lot, trying to get my attention.”

“I can imagine,” Bitty murmurs, and only then realizes that Jack is still holding Bitty’s hand to his cheek, but he’s hesitant to break that connection. His fingers twitch, however, and Jack seems to recall their position as well. He lowers Bitty’s hand, but doesn’t let go.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” 

Bitty can’t tell if Jack’s tone is more amused or disbelieving. He shakes his head, not trusting his voice— but it turns out his mouth is determined to betray him anyway, because he hears himself say:

“My hot neighbor, but that’s about it.”

Bitty knows for a fact that he’s blushing harder than Jack, now, and his hand flies out of the other man’s grasp to slap over his mouth. He finally breaks eye contact to look heaven-ward and pray to be swallowed into the earth, but he can hear Jack laughing. It’s a soft sound, hardly more than a chuckle.

“Do you know, I’ve been referring to you the same way.”

 


End file.
